ATTENTION MIDWIFERY STUDENT PRECEPTORS

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that CCA (Continuing Competency Assessment)
participants can now receive credit for timeSpent precepting midwifery students. The BOD also
extends a sincere thank you to all preceptors for their continuing commitment to midwifery
education and to the ACNM Division of Education CCA Section, Preceptor Development and Support
Section and staff for their work in developing and implementing this new option. Beginning with 02/06
CCA cycle, which ends Aug. 31, 2006 (reporting date is Oct. 1, 2006 ), participants will be able to
report up to 10 contact hours (equals 1 CEU) for time spent precepting a student nurse-midwife (SNM)
or student midwife (SM). For the 02/06 cycle, the 10 hours must have been accrued during the cycle
dates of Sept. 1, 2001 through Aug. 31, 2006 . A section has been added to the Self Reporting Form
under the heading "Acceptable Alternatives in Lieu of CEU" where the hours spent precepting
can be recorded. Click http://www.midwife.org/education.cfm?id=82 to download the form.

http://www.midwife.org/news.cfm?id=942#preceptors
                    
                    
                    Click here for the JOGN article on precepting.                  

ors Needed! 

Lauren Hunter, Program Director for the SDSU Nurse-Midwifery Education Program, is looking for clinical sites for SNMs.  Especially needed are sites with a high volume of GYN.  Our local school of nurse-midwifery will not be able to continue without the availability and committment of local CNMs to provide students with clinical experience.  If your practice can offer a clinical site, please contact:

A Preceptor Story
By Lauren P. Hunter

A Prayer of Thanks for Preceptors from an Education Director

 

It starts at the very beginning. How can you ever thank someone for a gift that CANNOT be repaid?
If my wish came true, every preceptor would receive a 100 GOLD BUILLONS (every week) for all their care and work.

Instead I offer palliative pabulum all that is in my power to give: CEU's, academic appointments, certificates of appreciation and a party at my house every year with the dual purpose of meeting the "new" students.

If I wished upon every good birth I could not return the gift "in kind" for the work the preceptors do.
How can one ever truly repay a labor of love? Thank-you.

WHAT I TELL EVERY PRECEPTOR: please call me right away if there is any problem about anything while you are precepting.

What I Hear as I Listen to Preceptors tell their Stories

Every year I visit, talk to, examine, evaluate, cajole, beg, appreciate, laugh with and listen to preceptors and service directors. I hear:
I will take anyone.
Evenings only.
Just four hours per week.
One student per week.
Not at THAT site.
Not THAT student.
No students on nights with me.
Is she bilingual?
The student evaluations are too much work
I LOVE to help.
Give me anyone.
I'll take a student that needs extra work.
We only take advanced students.
Our service is burnt out.
Your last student wore us out!
How come they have so little experience?
What a great student.
How does she tie her shoes? She can't do a hand tie!
We are controlled by productivity schedules.
How can I take a student and meet my quota?
I feel so bad because someone precepted for me.
I am torn, I want to help.
Can you work with me so I can take a student next quarter?
We love to help and support you.
You can count on us.

My Story to the Students, w ritten in the OFFICIAL student handbook, discussed at every class AND
tattooed to each student's forehead (not really but I wish) before they start clinical:
REMEMBER- YOU ARE A GUEST AT THE INSITUTION
You are there to learn not to change the system.
PLEASE REMEMBER
Preceptors are a precious and endangered species. IF you have a problem please call me on my 24-hour pager, cell phone or home phone. I am available 24 hours a day for preceptor issues. DO NOT antagonize the preceptor or the system.

Our preceptors do this because they believe it is their responsibility to midwifery and their profession.
They care. They are human beings just like you. They have bad days, NO terrible days. They have troubles at home, and work, and worry about the world JUST like you. They are not perfect. please understand. Some are new and need guidance and help to learn, some are tired or old or both, BUT
They care.

They help YOU because they CARE about you, about birth, about love for midwifery, women, families, and their work.

What I Hear when I Listen to the Stories Students Tell

She did not have time for me.
She did not listen to me.
First she said, "see this patient," then gave me the chart and I had NO time to read it.
She said she was in a bad mood because she hade to go to M and M about a bad outcome.
She said, "how come you don't know the answer to my question?" (it was my second week)!
She looked really stressed and I think something else was going on.
She told me everything was great and then wrote a bad evaluation
I thought it was my fault the baby went to the NICU, we didn't get to talk about it afterwards.  What could I have done differently?
I feel so bad.
I want to learn.
It is so scary to be a student and stretch, and go back to being a beginner after being an expert in so many areas.
Everything went so fast!
I love my preceptor. She is just wonderful.
She takes her time with me, makes me think about my answers, appreciates my strengths, works with my weaknesses, makes me accountable, gives me time, shares her special midwifery secrets, treats me well in front of patients, demands my respect, knows I am learning, and understands no one is perfect.
I really appreciate that she has precepted me.

She was so great, I want to leave her a gift. What do you think she would like?
I can never truly repay her for all her guidance.

My suggestion to the students:
Maybe you can carry on her work and precept students when you are able.
Write your appreciation in heartfelt words for her heart to hear (cc: a copy to EVERYONE that matters).
Tell her what SHE did to be such a great preceptor
Thank her for her time, her wisdom.